1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to surgical gowns and particularly to a gown which provides a complete secure sterile enclosure secured without ties.
A method is provided for donning the gown to insure sterility is preserved.
2. STATEMENT OF PRIOR ART
Under existing methods, after use, surgical gowns are folded and packaged for sterilization so they can be handled without destroying the sterility of the gown. When ready for further use, after sterilization, operating room attendants assist the surgeons in donning the sterile gowns to avoid contamination of the gown from areas that are to be out of the field of contact with the patient. Present gowns used by surgeons generally do not completely enclose the body and have ties of fasteners in the back which require additional personnel to secure in a sterile manner. Often these ties and/or the gown must be manipulated with forcepts or surgical clamps to avoid touching the gown and thereby compromising its sterile condition. In addition, the ties often loosen to expose the back of the body.
One type of medical garment which does not require fasteners, is an examination gown, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,155,984, issued Nov. 10, 1964. This gown is completely wrapped around the body and includes an overlapping portion having a wide arm hole and shoulder strap. However, all of the arm holes are open, with no long covered sleeves, and there is no provision for use in a sterile manner, as required for surgery.
A known related type of garment having a non-medical use is shown in French Pat. No. 382129, issued Nov. 30, 1907. In this case, a tunic used by military personnel covers only the upper portions of the body and includes two long covered sleeves in two different side panels, and a front panel with a small arm hole in a side extension. The garment is wrapped around the front and secured by buttons.
Another non-sterile examination gown, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,818,573, issued Jan. 7, 1958, includes two overlapping folded sections having two side openings for arms, and lower front and back openings. A tape or tie can be used to maintain the front and back openings closed when desired.
None of these prior art garments, however, provide a complete sterile enclosure for use in surgery which can be donned with minimum assistance while being secured without fasteners or ties.